Shadow of ARK
by Xada91
Summary: Shadow has never told anyone about his life on the ARK. Until Rouge finds a picture that brings up his buried memmories.
1. Prologue

A/N: This has absolutely nothing to do with Living Pains. Except Shadow and co.

Disclaimer: I don't own nothing.

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Shadow of ARK

Prologue

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Rouge and Shadow were picking through the leftover junk still on the ARK after it was abandoned. She entered Professor Gerald's office and found a picture on his desk. It was so old that a thick layer of dust completely obscured the image. She brushed the dust off to reveal the most adorable picture she had ever seen. It was Shadow, a much, much younger Shadow but him none the less. He had been drinking some tea or coffee, she couldn't tell which, the picture was black and white. Maria had hugged him in a surprisingly Amy Rose like way. What made her giggle was the look of surprise on Shadow's face as he tried not to spill his drink. She saw how innocent he looked and knew this was how Shadow should have been, much more gentle and less violent. This was how he was before the day he refuses to talk about happened.

"Hey Shadow. I think this belongs to you." She called to him. He took the photo and smiled sadly at the it. "You never talk about what it was like back then." She said quietly.

"And it's about time I told my best friend about my past life." He grabbed her hand and sat her down at a nearby table. He then began to tell he about the person he was before he lost his innocence…

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A/N: Please don't hate it…too much. Just a random thing really. Oh, and if anyone can find or draw the picture I would love to see it! Send it too . Please R&R, thanks.


	2. Little Brother

A/N: This whole updating the first two chapter thing at once is becoming a real habit with me. Well, enjoy. Also, parts that take place in the present are in **bold**.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. You've read it, you can't unread it!

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Shadow of ARK

Chapter 2: Little Brother

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Maria Robotnik sat next to her grandfather as the tube in the middle of the room began to glow and drain of fluid. She was excited and a little frightened by what was happening. She was getting a little brother! Or at least, that's how she felt about it. The oddly muted sounds of the machines scattered about the lab made the whole thing seem a little spooky.

Then the tube opened. Inside was a small adorable bundle of black fur. It unfurled itself to reveal two large, frightened, red eyes and a small patch of white on its chest. She walked over to it despite her grandfather's protests and bent down next to it. Their eyes locked and he seemed to calm down considerably.

"Hello there, my name is Maria. What's yours?" Gerald smiled at her words. Though Shadow had the English language downloaded to his brain, he didn't think Project Shadow would be able to talk.

"I'm Shadow. Shadow the Hedgehog." The little creature said in a small, shy voice. It was the first of many times Gerald would underestimate his creation.

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In the weeks that followed Shadow's "birth" Maria came to enjoy his company. He had grown close to her as well and became rather insecure when she wasn't around, something that confounded Gerald to no end. This behavioral anomaly became less of a bizarre distraction and more of a danger to the researches on the ARK during one of Shadow's many tests.

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"Shadow, come here so we can take a blood sample." The dark haired scientist said for the third time.

"Where's Maria?" Shadow asked politely. The professor had told him to be as polite as possible around others.

"She is with the professor, doing her studies. Now come here."

"Can this please wait until she or the professor can be here?" He pleaded.

"No now come here!" The man grabbed Shadow's arm. Even this early in his life, Shadow preferred that most people refrained from touching him. The man learned that they had all underestimated Shadow's strength when he grabbed the man's arm and threw him the length of the room. Shadow ran to him and began to apologize and help the man up. "I th-think we can wait for Gerald." The man stuttered.

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That night, after Gerald finished telling Shadow that he needed to remember how strong he was, they decided that Maria or Gerald would always be present for Shadow's tests. Maria sat Shadow down and forced him to write a lengthy apology letter to the man he had thrown. She meanwhile wrote an angry letter to the same man for grabbing Shadow's arm like that.

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**Rouge wiped tears of laughter from her eyes as Shadow chuckled to himself. It had been some time since he thought about these events. For her part, Rouge had found more respect for Maria. Not many people could force Shadow to do anything. "You guys really were a family weren't you?" She asked, hoping he would answer. **

"**Yeah, we were." He was quiet for a moment. "I was terrified when she scolded me for throwing him like that." This caused Rouge to burst out in even more laughter. **

"**Did you ever read the letter she wrote?" **

"**Of course." **

"**And?" She asked expectantly.**

"**That sweet little girl…has quite the vocabulary."**

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A/N: Heh. Vocabulary. Wink-wink, nudge-nudge. Anyway R&R please.


	3. Live and Learn

A/N: I would like to thank the one person that reviewed this story. I salute you Crystal the Cat. Also, parts that take place in the present are in **bold**.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Shadow of ARK

Chapter 3: Live and Learn

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Shadow had grow considerably during his time aboard the ARK. He had nearly doubled his original height and was much stronger. Even his voice had changed, becoming much deeper than the small squeak he used when he first awoke. He had also developed red streaks along his arms, legs, and head quills. He didn't question it solely because Maria sad they looked dashing.

His life on the Ark was pretty monotonous. He would wake up, do a few studies with Maria and the professor, go to the labs with one of them and do his tests, then he would have free time to himself. That was where things became interesting. Maria was a sweet little for the most part. She did have a mischievous side to her however, one that enjoyed dragging Shadow into whatever she was doing at the moment.

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Shadow was walking the halls of the ARK when he came across Maria painting on one of the walls. He was confused as to why she would do this.

"What are you doing?" She froze and turned at his voice.

"I'm expressing myself." She said slyly. "Come on, you what to help?"

"You want me to help you express yourself?" He still had trouble understanding her sometimes.

"No silly, you can express yourself."

"I'm pretty expressive already." She giggled at him. "What?"

"You think to much Shadow!" Just then Professor Gerald rounded the corner, giving himself a full view of Maria's painting.

"What are you two doing?" He asked annoyed. Shadow glanced at Maria.

"It was my idea Professor. Maria tried to stop me." He said. He was a terrible liar.

"Or," the Gerald said, "you found her doing this and you wanted to cover for her." Shadow's face flushed lightly. "That's what I thought. Maria, a word please." She quietly followed her grandfather to his office. Shadow kept a good distance behind them. Gerald told him to wait outside and shut the door.

"Maria, why were you painting the walls?"

"It's so dreary in the halls. I wanted to brighten things up." She gave him a tentative smile.

"Just don't do it again alright? If you must make things cheerful, focus on the Christmas decorations. This will be Shadow's first you know." Her eyes light up excitedly.

"Then we'll have to make it extra special won't we grandfather?"

"That's my girl. Now bring Shadow in here okay." She went and retrieved the frightened hedgehog. "Ah, Shadow. How are you?"

"I-I'm sorry sir?" The small creature was confused by Gerald's demeanor. He had lied to him, why wasn't he getting yelled at?

"I asked how you are feeling?"

"Embarrassed. I shouldn't have lied to you sir." His ears lowered and he frowned. Maria had to bite her lip to keep from 'awing' at him. He just looked so cute when he was like that.

"It's okay Shadow." The professor looked at his upset creation. It made him feel very paternal towards Shadow. This was the point when Shadow stopped being a project to Professor Gerald and became a part of his family. "Who wants ice cream?" He asked suddenly.

"Me!" Maria said excitedly. "Come on Shadow!" She grabbed his arm and they hurried down to the cafeteria.

"What is ice cream?"

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"**What is ice cream?" Rouge laughed at how little Shadow had know about life's simple pleasures. Shadow stood and walked over to a painting on the wall. He pulled the painting down to reveal a safe. He opened the safe and pulled out several photo albums.**

"**I had forgotten about these." He placed them on the table. "Pick one. They have us in all of them."**

"**First, tell me about this." She said indicating the picture she had found.**

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"How do you like your tea professor?" Shadow asked the elderly man.

"Straight thank you now come here. I want a picture of you." Shadow handed Gerald his cup and took one for himself. Gerald sipped his tea for a second. He then prepared the camera. "Okay Shadow now don't move."

"Shadow!" Maria yelled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. At that exact moment Gerald took the picture. Maria saw the flash and apologized excitedly to her grandfather, knocking Shadow out of his chair in the process. She looked down and saw Shadow, covered in tea, looking miserable. "Oh Shadow. I'm sorry. Come on let's get you cleaned up!" She grabbed the unfortunate hedgehog and pulled him to Gerald's shower. "Now you can't come out until you're completely clean understand?"

"Yes Maria." He sighed in defeat.

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"**It's not that funny." Shadow looked at Rouge annoyed. She wouldn't stop laughing at his expense. Anyone else would have been thrown out the airlock. Even his most withering glare couldn't stop her.**

"**I'm sorry. I just keep thinking about you being covered in tea! It's hilarious." His eyes narrowed.**

"**Do you want me to leave you here?" He tried to threaten her, failing miserably.**

"**You won't do that. You would miss my charming company." He grunted an acknowledgement. "Now come on, let's take these back home Shadow." She grabbed two of the seven photo albums and stood next to him. He grabbed the picture she found as well as the other albums. He held up his Chaos Emerald.**

"**Chaos Control!" He yelled and they vanished in a flash of light.**

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A/N: And yet again Rouge laughs at Shadow's expense. That picture from the prologue was bugging me so I decided to get that out of the way.


	4. Traditions

A/N: Parts that take place in the present are in **bold**.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Shadow of ARK

Chapter 4: Traditions

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**Shadow and Rouge reappeared in Rouge's apartment. Shadow had a room he used when he felt like stopping by. They took the photo albums to the couch. Shadow sat down and placed his stack on the coffee table. Rouge placed her stack next to his and cuddled up next to him. He spared her a mildly annoyed glance before indicating the albums.**

"**Well pick one." She looked them over before picking up a large leather-bound volume. Shadow took it and set it on his lap. Rouge leaned her head against his shoulder to look at them. She smiled as she came to a picture of Shadow, Maria and Gerald at Christmas. Shadow was wearing a Santa hat and had on a holiday sweater.**

"**Tell me about this Shadow." He smiled fondly.**

"**That was my very first Christmas."**

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"Shadow!" Maria shook the small hedgehog. Sometimes he absolutely seemed to refuse to wake up. "If you don't wake up I'll spill tea on you again." He cracked his eyes slightly.

"You're bluffing." She grinned wickedly. "You're not bluffing." He said sitting up. "What do you need at…" he glanced at the clock, "five in the morning?!"

"It's Christmas!" He stared at her blankly. "Haven't you noticed the decorations?"

"You mean all the red and green? I thought you had decided to express yourself again." She shot him a look. "I was wrong?" She giggled at how him. "What?"

"Your so cute when you're clueless!"

"I'm not cute! I'm manly." She laughed outright at that. It was an inside joke of theirs.

"Anyway Shadow, come on, it's a holiday." She grabbed his hand and tugged on him. "And put this on!" She handed him a sweater. He looked at it dubiously.

"Maria I don't wear clothes."

"I know but this is a special circumstance." He shrugged and pulled it on. "Much better! Now come on! Grandfather is waiting for us." She grabbed his hand and pulled him down the hallway.

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Professor Gerald Robotnik was enjoying his eggnog in peace when Maria ran through his office door. He first felt the need to reprimand her for running in her condition. Then he saw that Shadow the Hedgehog, the Ultimate Life Form, his creation, was wearing a Christmas sweater. He was speechless.

"Marry Christmas grandfather!" She pushed Shadow forward.

"M-marry Christmas professor." He stuttered.

"Marry Christmas Maria, Shadow." He pursed his lips. "I see Maria gave you your gift."

"Gift?" Shadow felt horrible. He hadn't gotten them anything. "Maria I-"

"It's okay Shadow. You didn't even know it was Christmas, it's not your fault." She gave him a dazzling smile. "And no frowns on Christmas okay!" He grinned.

"Okay Maria."

"Well, since we've gotten that established I have presents for you both." he handed them each a gift. Maria opened hers to find a bright blue dress.

"Oh, thank you grandfather!" She hugged the elderly man. "Go on Shadow! Open yours!" He pulled the package open to reveal a pair of metal shoes. He looked at them curiously.

"Why does everyone give me clothes?" He asked with a smile. He put the shoes on and tested them out.

"They're air shoes Shadow, with them you can go much faster than normal." Shadow stood there awkwardly. "What's wrong?"

"…Do we hug now?" He asked. He only allowed Maria to touch him in most cases.

"Yes!" Maria pulled them both into a hug.

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"Marry Christmas Gerald! You two Maria and Shadow!" Mark, the man Shadow had thrown several weeks ago yelled. He placed a brightly colored Santa hat on the bemused hedgehog's head. The creation gave him an odd look.

"Why does everyone give me clothes?!" Maria laughed at his confusion.

"It's tradition silly." She giggled.

"To fight mass nudity or something?" Even Gerald laughed at that.

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"Hey Gerald, how about a picture of the happy Robotniks?" Mark asked an hour into the Christmas party.

"Sure." Maria and he stood next to each other. "Wait, Shadow get over here!" He called to the ebony hedgehog.

"Sir? He meant your family."

"I know, now get over here!" The professor moved a chair near them so that Shadow could get in the shot. Shadow gave him a genuine smile.

"Yes sir."

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**Rouge smiled at Shadow as he finished his story. She paused as if debating something before she gave him a warm hug. He froze for a second before giving her a small smile and returning the hug slightly. After a few seconds of this he realized she had fallen asleep. His smile grew and he carried her to her room. He put her in her bed. He bent over and kissed her lightly on the cheek.**

"**Goodnight Rouge." He whispered.**

"**Shadow…" She sighed contentedly. He grinned for the first time in a long time before he turned and went to his room. There was always time for more stories tomorrow.**

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A/N: A nice little bit of Shadouge fluff in the end there. Always good. Review please.


	5. Holidays

A/N: Parts that take place in the present are in **bold**.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Shadow of ARK

Chapter 5: Holidays

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**Shadow looked up as Rouge walked out of her room, drying her hair with a towel. He nodded to her and went back to his game of chess against E-123 Omega. She tossed the towel into the hamper.**

"**Thanks for putting me in bed last night Shadow." She said with a sly grin.**

"**Don't give me that look." He gave her a cold glare. "It disturbs me." She laughed as she flopped next to him in the human sized easy chair.**

"**You know you like it." She whispered in his ear. She laughed at the barely visible blush that toughed his cheeks. He gave her a sidelong look.**

"**What do you want?" She pretended to pout.**

"**What a horrible thing to say." Omega made a move on the board.**

"**Checkmate Shadow." He said simply. The ebony hedgehog sighed.**

"**Happy Rouge? Now you have my undivided attention." She grinned.**

"**That's all I ever wanted Shadow." He chuckled.**

"**I'll bet." He indicated the stack of photo albums. "Ready for more of these?" She picked up a green leather volume. Opening it she saw that it had more holiday pictures.**

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**New Year's Eve: **Year One

Shadow was staring intently out the large window at the planet below. He wondered what Christmas had been like down there. Gerald and Maria had told him that it snowed. He wondered what snow was like. He knew what it was, that knowledge had been downloaded to him before he even woke up. He knew so much but he had so little experience with the world. Simple things such as holidays perplexed him to no end. His ears twitched at the sound of familiar footsteps.

"Hello Maria." He addressed the girl.

"Hello Shadow." She joined him at the window. "It sure is beautiful isn't it?" He nodded. "What's on your mind?"

"What is the next holiday?" He asked quietly.

"New Year's Eve." He gave her an odd look.

"Isn't that tomorrow?" She looked at the watch her grandfather had made her.

"No it's actually tonight."

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That night Shadow made a discovery: the smartest scientists, the men and women that live aboard the ARK, could be incredibly stupid. Dr. Howe, an astrophysicist, had set up a large fireworks display. Everyone seemed very excited about them until Shadow felt he needed to point something out to them.

"Professor Gerald?" The old man turned to the hedgehog. "How are these supposed to be set off without killing us all?" He asked calmly. He watched, fascinated as the professor slowly realized what his creation was referring to.

"Oh dear." He said quietly. "Dr. Howe! Don't set those off!" He walked to the other man and explained what Shadow had pointed out to him. This, as is no surprise, put a damper on the celebrations. Gerald called Shadow over to him.

"Yes sir?"

"Shadow I want you to go put this in the video projector." He handed Shadow a disk.

"Understood." The small creature took the disk and did as he was asked. A video began to play on several large screens scattered about the ARK. The video recapped all the scientists' achievements during the past year. Shadow and Maria sat next to Gerald to watch it. When the video began to talk about Shadow, the hedgehog blushed lightly as Maria giggled. Gerald placed a withered, calloused hand on his creation's shoulder.

"Happy New Year's son." The old man said proudly.

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"**Aw! That's so sweet!" Rouge couldn't stop herself from hugging Shadow, further embarrassing the dark hedgehog. He looked away from her in irritation.**

"**What do you want to hear about next?" She looked thoughtful for a moment.**

"**How about your first Halloween?" He shook his head.**

"**No, my first Halloween was too soon after I 'woke' up. I was being tested at the time." He then smirked. "My second Halloween was filled with more tricks than treats however."**

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**Halloween: **Year Two

"Shadow!" The girl called grabbing the hedgehog from behind.

"Maria! I asked you not to do that." He sputtered. "Put me down please." She hastily complied. The small hedgehog had changed a lot in the past year, his voice no longer held a childish tone in it. He was now nearly as tall as Maria's shoulders and had some how grown more imposing, as though he would throw you out the window as soon as look at you. He took a moment to compose himself. "Now what is it?"

"Oh, I just wanted to ask what you're dressing up as for Halloween."

"What?" He looked at her like she had grown a second head.

"Halloween silly! One of the best holidays ever." She grabbed his hand. "Come on, grandfather will explain." Knowing resistance would be futile, he allowed himself to be pulled along by the girl.

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"Maria for the last time, I'm not going to participate in this pointless holiday." He said with finality. Two hours later he was standing in her room dressed as a vampire. "This is completely idiotic." He said staring at himself in the mirror.

"I think you look handsome." Maria said next to him. She was dressed as the bride of Frankenstein.

"You're just saying that because you picked it out." She grinned.

"Why I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, and now you'll try to guilt me into doing whatever you want. Just like you always do." He said, smiling despite himself. "Well let's get this over with." He turned to the door, fully intending to get this pointless holiday done with.

"Oh, no you don't!" Said a large jack o' lantern. Gerald Robotnik grabbed his shoulder. "You don't want the candy those people will be giving out. There aren't that many children so there isn't that much candy to go around. Instead, why don't you stick with the tricks and I'll take care of the treats." Shadow and Maria exchanged a quick, mischievous glance.

"It's a deal." The hedgehog shook hands with his maker.

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**Shadow was interrupted by a knocking at the door. He tried to get up but found that Rouge had somehow managed to wind up sitting in his lap as he told his story. He looked at her bewildered as she seemed taken aback herself. Being who she was, she didn't stay speechless for long.**

"**Omega, could you get the door sweetie?" The robot stood and clunked his way towards the door.**

"**Aren't you going to let me up?" Shadow asked calmly. He looked down as he realized she had been playing with his white tuft of chest fur. **_**how deep was I in thought?**_

"**No, I'm far to comfortable." She said smiling. Shadow, finding that he himself was comfortable decided that it would be pointless to argue. Omega came clunking back into the living room.**

"**Package for you Rouge." He droned in his monotonous voice.**

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**A/N: That's right. The dark hedgehog doesn't like Halloween. Hope you liked it.**


	6. School Days

A/N: Parts that take place in the present are in **bold**.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Shadow of ARK

Chapter 6: School Days

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**Rouge frowned as she was forced to get up off of Shadow. She walked to Omega and took the package from him. She hated being interrupted. Especially when she was with Shadow.**

"**I'll look at this later." She said aloud before placing it next to the photo albums. She looked at Shadow and grinned. With a sigh he lifted his arms so she could sit on his lap again. He picked up another album and handed it to her. They started looking through it together.**

**They came to a picture that had a much older Shadow than the ones before it. He was standing in his usual pose, arms crossed brows lowered in concentration. Next to him, Maria was sitting in a chair with a book next to her. Shadow outright laughed when he saw that.**

"**I was wondering what he did with these pictures." He said grinning.**

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"Shadow this is impossible." Maria whined to her friend. He chuckled lightly. "Don't laugh at me." She said defensively.

"What's wrong this time?" He asked her.

"This problem grandfather has me working on." She sighed exasperatedly. The hedgehog looked at her book.

"Are-are those even math symbols?" He asked confused. The professor was none to give her unusual problems for her studies but nothing this bizarre. "Where does this thing even begin?"

"You don't know?" Her eyes widened in surprise. Then she pushed the book away from her with a groan. "I told you it's impossible." His eyes sparkled at that.

"This is a challenge from the professor, Maria." He said with a defiant smile. "One I intend to beat." He looked at her. "How about you?" With a grin they set to work on the problem.

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An hour later Shadow was staring at a sheet of paper covered with numbers. Maria was holding an equally marked paper. They hadn't gotten any closer to solving the problem.

"Should we give up?" Maria asked in an exhausted voice.

"No." He sounded just as tired. "We just need a break." He went to the kitchen in her quarters and started making tea. As it brewed he walked up behind her. He crossed his arms as they both stared at the problem. A flash of light interrupted them and Shadow looked up to see Mark with a camera. "Why?" he asked annoyed.

"Gerald asked me to, he was too busy." At their questioning looks he laughed. "He saw you two as he walked passed the door."

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"**What was the problem?" She asked Shadow. He grimaced and grabbed a pen and paper. He began writing and didn't stop for two minutes. He handed her the finished paper. "Holy crap." He nodded and turned the pages in the album. She stopped him when she saw a picture of him with a bow on his head. He grinned when he saw it.**

"**Maria's birthday."**

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Shadow raced along the hallways of the ARK. He dodged past the scientists that occasionally opened doors into his path. He was moving in a panic. _Late. I'm going to be late._ As he rushed down another hallway he tightened his grip on the package he was holding._ Brilliant Shadow. Hide it where no one could find it._ He snorted._ Even yourself. Idiot!_

He twisted to take a corner. He slid on the floor and had to use his skates on a high setting in order to avoid crashing into a window. _Idiot!_ He snarled at himself. _Need a shortcut. Need a shortcut now._

He spotted one of the airlock gun platforms. Shrugging he activated the airlock and stepped outside. He found himself on the outside of the ARK. Swallowing his amazement, he ran along the outside of the ARK for the first time in his life. He used the zero gravity to his advantage, allowing him to move faster than normal.

He reentered the ARK at the end of the platform's track. From there he followed the hallways to Maria's quarters. He paused to catch his breath, panting lightly. Once he was collected, he knocked on the door. She opened it smiling broadly when she saw him. Blushing lightly, he handed the present to her.

"Happy birthday Maria." She smiled even larger when she saw it. They walked into the main room where the professor was lighting the candles on the cake. "Grandfather! Look what Shadow got me." She showed him the present.

"Open it Maria." The old man said with a smile. She did as he said and found herself holding a dark blue photo album. Inside where several pictures of both the Earth and of Maria and Shadow together. Tears of joy welled up in her eyes as she looked through it.

"Maria?" Shadow asked, worried he had upset her. She wrapped her arms around him in a warm hug.

"Thank you Shadow." She said as the stunned hedgehog hugged her back.

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**Rouge hugged Shadow as he told the story. She just loved these sweet stories. She looked at the stack and saw the album he had talked about in his story. She picked it up and handed it to Shadow. She gave him a kiss on the cheek as she did so. Without a word she walked into the kitchen to prepare lunch.**

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**A/N: A pretty short chapter. Sorry about that.**


	7. Goodbye Big Sister

**A/N: Parts that take place in the present are in bold**.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Shadow of ARK

Chapter 7: Goodbye Big Sister

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"**Shadow." Omega turned to the black hedgehog that was looking at the kitchen door thoughtfully.**

"**Yeah?" He asked looking at the robot.**

"**Why did you not finish the story about your second Halloween?" The hedgehog thought for a moment. "Sorry I forgot about it."**

"**Don't tell any stories without me!" Rouge ordered from the kitchen. The hedgehog stood and gestured for the robot to follow him. Together they walked into the kitchen.**

"**Happy now?" He asked, sitting at the table. She cave him a coy look and nodded.**

"**Whenever you're around." She smirked at the annoyed look he gave her. "Now finish you're story."**

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Shadow followed Maria down the hallway. They had been trailing Mark and his family for an twenty minutes. Shadow was still confused as to why they were going to scare Mark, but he went with it regardless. When the family rounded a corner Maria turned to the ebony hedgehog.

"Okay Shadow, are you ready?" She handed him a squirt gun.

"Why are we doing this?" He held the gun awkwardly. He didn't like such things, they were too unwieldy and too large for him. She giggled mischievously.

"We're not being treated so we have to trick." With that they crept up behind Mark. "Dr. Mark?" She called. When the man turned around they unloaded their squirt guns on he, his wife, and his son. "Gotcha Mokie!" She said cheerfully to the boy with the mismatched eyes. Shadow waved to the boy as Maria pulled him along the hallway. He didn't miss the fact that the boy looked terrified of him.

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"**That boy, that was the commander wasn't it?" Rouge asked as she flipped Shadow's burger.**

"**Yeah." Shadow traced patterns on the tablecloth. "Anyway that's not the end of the story."**

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"Well that was…interesting." Shadow remarked to Maria as they walked to Gerald's office.

"Come on, you had fun and you know it!" She placed a hand on his head.

"Stop that." He removed her hand before giving her a small smile. "It was a little fun." She laughed at his reserved tone. As they approached the door they heard Gerald's voice over the intercom.

"Maria, Shadow, wait there for a minute." They did as he asked. After a minute Shadow grew impatient.

"Why are we-?" He was cutoff as the sprinkler system turned on above their heads, drenching them with water.

"Happy Halloween kids!" Gerald called from the door when it opened.

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**Rouge was laughing lightly as she brought him his cheeseburger. She shook her head at the image of Shadow the Hedgehog pulling pranks. And then being pranked in return! She grinned at him widely.**

"**No." He said as she opened her mouth to speak. "Not a word." He calmly ate his burger in silence.**

"**That story was quite humorous Shadow." Omega said in his monotone voice, causing Rouge to laugh openly. The black hedgehog sighed.**

"**Even the robot laughs at me."**

"**Of course!" Rouge smiled wickedly. "You're hilarious." After that they sat in silence until she couldn't take it anymore. "Why don't you tell us another story?"**

"**Shouldn't you open that package?" He pointed at it. She grimaced.**

"**If I do will you tell me some more stories?" She gave him a sly look. He smiled softly and nodded.**

"**I'll tell you whatever you like." She shook her head at this strange behavior. She walked over to the coffee table and picked the package up. It was lighter than it looked. She opened it to find only a small card. It said "Enjoy!" in large red letters, on it were two hearts, one white and one black. She flipped it open and saw the words "Turn around." in a familiar hand writing.**

"**Hey Shadow-" She turned and gasped as she saw the ebony hedgehog kneeling before her. He was holding a small box in his hands. The box contained the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. He looked at her questioningly.**

"**Rouge the Bat will you-?" He was once again cutoff. She squealed and tackled him to the ground, her lips placed firmly against his. Omega looked at his only two friends.**

"**I believe that is a yes Shadow." He said, turning to do the dishes. Rouge pulled away from the stunned hedgehog, grinning widely.**

"**The tin-can is right." He smiled and placed the ring on her finger.**

"**Then let's make it official." He said as they kissed again.**

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"_Shadow…give them a chance to be happy…" __**And be happy yourself. **__She wasn't sure if he could here the last part. She hoped he could. Her last thoughts as she left this world were full of pure love. __**Goodbye little brother…**_

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A/N: That's it. This is finished. There may be a sequel.


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